A self-indulgent outlet for rantings, random thoughts and recollections about life, travel, work and most of all... miscellaneous.

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Sweden calling

The immediate post-Eurovision period is always a bleak and desolate time of the year.

Having gorged ourselves on a feast of pop, culminating in the Grand Final, we're suddenly forced to go cold turkey.

I'm irritable, fatigued (after those 5am starts for the live telecast), have lost my appetite and am just a little depressed.

Now I know what heroin addicts must go through.

This year's symptoms are particularly severe having experienced the high of Australia's first (and only?) participation in the contest.

But if I'm forced to be a little "cup half full", then I can at least take comfort that next year we're all off to Sweden for Eurovision.

Hello Sweden!

Sure, we weren't there that long ago thanks to Loreen's Euphoria.

On that occasion Sweden's third-largest city Malmo was the host. While the host city has yet to be confirmed, Sweden is one of those places that deserve multiple visits.

The capital Stockholm is a surprising delight in itself, spread across 14 islands.

Wandering around Stockholm, you can't help feel a little bit envious of the Swedes. They seem to have uncovered the secrets to the good life.

While they pay some fairly high taxes, if the global surveys are correct they also enjoy some of the world's highest standards of living, free healthcare, free education and are generally happier than the rest of us.

To rub salt into the wound, now they've snared Eurovision for the sixth time!

At Stockholm's heart is Gamla Stan, or Old Town, consisting of cobbled streets and narrows lanes (including one that is less than one metre wide).

Gamla Stan

Nearby is the Royal Palace, one of the homes of the popular Swedish Royal Family - surely big enough to host a Eurovision or two.

Outside the Royal Palace

But perhaps it's the Royal Family's other home, Drottningholm Palace, that might be a more suitable venue for 2016 Eurovision.

Built on its own island, this palace is a short boat ride away from downtown Stockholm.

It's a handsome palace, complete with its own theatre, church and Chinese Pavilion, and surrounded by sprawling grounds.

Drottningholm Palace

It even has a bath house the size of a normal family home for those wanting to take a dip.

While the palace is still used by the Royal Family, you're more likely to run into hordes of tourists than King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia.

Whether Eurovision returns to Stockholm or another city has yet to be decided, but regardless Sweden always seems ready to welcome the world and give it a good show.